3 Chicago cookbook authors among finalists for culinary award

Three cookbooks by Chicagoans are among the finalists for a prestigious culinary award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

“Prep School,” a book compiling James P. DeWan's cooking method and technique columns that have appeared in Good Eating the past eight years, is a finalist in the compilations category. “The Art of French Pastry” by Jacquy Pfeiffer, who is dean of student affairs at the renowned French Pastry School in Chicago, was nominated in the baking category. And “The Sardinian Cookbook: The Cooking and Culture of a Mediterranean Island” by Viktorija Todorovska was recognized in culinary travel.

The IACP is a group of chefs, restaurateurs, writers and other professionals from the food and beverage world. The association's cookbook awards, which were announced Tuesday, are well-regarded as a stamp of quality and innovation.

The cookbook award winners, along with those for food journalism and digital media, will be announced March 15 at the association's annual conference, which will be held in Chicago.

DeWan, whose column appears monthly in Good Eating, is a culinary instructor at Kendall College. Pfeiffer is co-founder of the French Pastry School and an instructor there. Todorovska is a food and wine consultant (http://www.olivacooking.com/) and cookbook author.

The following is a partial list of the cookbook award finalists. For a complete list of award finalists, click here.